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toomanystoriessolittletime · 2 years

Text

Prey

Summary: It was just supposed to be an easy job. But then he saw you.

Pairing: Din Djarin x fem. Reader

Wordcount: 7.1k

Raiting: E for Explicit (beginning and end of Smut is marked with a red divider, so you can read the fic without it if you prefer it this way)

Warnings: Soulmate AU, gonna tag it as Dub Con to be sure, bounty hunting, stalking, obsessive behavior, voyeurism, Sugar baby, attempted assault, choking (not the fun way), nakedness, character death, strangers to lovers, weddings, smut (unprotected sex), some breeding kink, lies

A/N: This fic has been the better part of my life for the last 6 weeks. The original idea was to write something... completely different. Something dark and twisted. I think I got the twisted part down though and it is... different. A big thank you goes out to @chaoticgeminate who listened to my whining about this for the last weeks and came up with the ✨ plot twist ✨ and another big thank you to @the-scandalorian who beta'd this monster like a champ and yelled at me for writing it in the first place

Click Keep Reading only if you have read the Rating and Warnings and understand the warnings may not be complete to avoid listing spoilers. As AO3 says 'creator chooses not to use warnings'. You also agree that you're the right age to be consuming anything here.

It was just a puck.

It wasn’t even a difficult job. The bounty, a Twi’lek, wasn’t hiding. He was a lowlife crime lord who neglected paying off some of his debts.

It was an easy job.

Din was on Coruscant. It was…one of the first jobs he took after Grogu. To be honest, everything that happened after the Jedi Luke Skywalker had taken Grogu with him was a blur. Cara had taken care of Moff Gideon. The Mandalorians…had left, Bo Katan was still scowling at him about his responsibility now that he was carrying the Dark Saber. There was a part of him that seriously thought about just…getting rid of it. He was pretty sure it would bring him a huge amount of credits.

But it was a Mandalorian-made weapon. He could feel its power everytime he just brushed his fingers over it.

So, abandoning it was out of the question. That didn’t mean he had to get familiar with it though.

Din could ignore the Dark Saber, but he couldn’t stand having constant company. Everyone was just really getting on his nerves and he needed… Losing Grogu had changed him. He needed to find a way to move on.

So when Boba had offered him a ride to Tatooine, he took it. And once he was there, he had paid Peli for a ship and gone onto Navarro to visit Karga and pick up some bounty pucks.

Because that was what he knew how to do.

Hunting down bounties was in his blood.

And blood was what he was after. His mind only seemed to be able to calm down when he was on the hunt—even more so when the bounty was struggling and he had to use his fists to shut them up.

He didn’t have to think about the next step—he just knew it. And if he didn’t have to think, he wouldn’t think of the kid. All the better.

It wasn’t like he had anyone else in his life. No family, no loved one, no soulmate…

Sometimes, he wondered if he would ever find his soulmate. If he was deserving of them. Of meeting them. Of finding the other half of himself, the one carrying the same mark like he did on his body.

So here he was. Din Djarin. Bounty hunter. Apparently a king? He was sitting in the back of a shady cantina watching his bounty. He could just get up, walk over and take care of the Twi’lek. But he was… distracted.

He was distracted by you.

You were sitting on his bounty’s lap in your little sparkly dress. Even from across the cantina, Din could see your red painted fingernails dragging over the cheap shirt the bounty was wearing. He could see his greedy fingers on your thighs, and Din flexed his fingers to keep himself calm.

He shouldn’t be touching you.

The bounty leaned to his side, talking to a Rodian sitting next to him. You pouted, letting your gaze wander through the room until your eyes landed on Din. Din knew his face was hidden inside his helmet, yet it seemed like you were looking directly into his eyes. He saw your red painted lips purse before they switched into a small smirk.

He frowned behind his helmet. He couldn’t deny the attraction he felt towards you. You were...beautiful and sexy, and there was a part of him that just wanted to stalk over there to break the bounty’s undeserving fingers and take you with him.

The bounty spoke into your ear then, and you nodded, biting your lip. You leaned in to kiss him, and Din took a deep, steadying breath.

He watched the bounty speak to you again, and fuck, he could hear your giggle all the way across the fucking room. You kissed the bounty again before you got up. He slapped your ass, and you grinned at him over your shoulder.

The bounty got up too, sliding his arm around your waist before he kissed you again, his hand squeezing your ass as he guided you out of the cantina.

Din saw you turn your head to look over your shoulder, somehow finding his eyes again as you gave him a wink before you were out the door.

Din all but jumped out of his chair, his hand hovering over his blaster. But he stopped himself from doing something rash and shook his head to clear his mind, taking a few more calming breaths.

What was it about you that made him so...possessive?

He wanted you. He needed you.

He’d never felt like this about anyone else before.

Thoughts about capturing the bounty were the farthest thing from his mind.

He decided to follow you at a distance. When he exited the club, he saw the bounty walk into the hotel across the street, but you were nowhere to be found.

He turned his head to look for you, and he found you walking towards the hotel too. You looked over your shoulder, and Din took a step back so you wouldn’t see him. His hand came up to his helmet as he zoomed in his visual feed, locating the roomkey in your hand and noting the room number printed on it.

He watched you all the way until you were inside the hotel before he stepped out of the shadows. Then, he made his way up to the roof of the hotel to drop down onto the balcony of the penthouse suite.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You usually didn’t do this.

Yes, you agreed to be arm candy, to spend time with whoever was paying you. But you never, never had sex with your clients.

Because the men who paid you to spend time with them were mostly… not your type—not that this Twi’lek was your type, but frankly, one of your friends had told you about how great sex with a Twi’lek was, and you were curious. Okay, and a little horny. It had been some time for you. And he was funny. A little handsy but nothing you couldn’t handle.

And you were completely focused on him all evening, enjoying his hands on your body…until your eyes landed on a Mandalorian sitting in the back of the cantina. You had felt like someone had been watching you for a while, and when you found his visor fixed on you, even if you had no idea if he really was looking at you, you were pleasantly surprised. He tried to blend in, seated in the dark corner, but his silver amor wasn’t exactly easy to hide.

You had always been fascinated with Mandalorians.

You had studied them back when...well, before you had to start letting strangers pay for your company to survive. That was like another life. On another planet.

Now, you were walking down the hall of a way-too-expensive hotel on your way to sleep with someone. Someone who would be paying you for it. For the first time in your life. And you thought you would feel…strange or dirty about it. But you didn’t.

You never had taken this last step. Not that you were judging sex workers. You had nothing but respect for them. But it wasn’t your…plan.

Your plan involved a place near the campus. A job to teach at the university. A soulmate who loved you. Maybe kids…

It didn’t involve your father dying, leaving you with debt too high to pay, forcing you to give up your dream of teaching to become a… sugar baby?

But it wasn’t the worst? Most of the people who paid you were just looking for company and someone to talk to. Of course, there had been offers before. But up until today you never really entertained the thought. The number of credits that would wander into your pocket after this night were a big bonus though.

You took a deep breath, checking the blaster in your purse before you used the keycard to open the door.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Din was standing in the shadows on the penthouse suite’s balcony.

It was raining, and the water was slowly creeping under his armour and soaking his flight suit. He could have come back tomorrow. He didn’t need to wait out here. In the rain.

The bounty wasn’t likely to leave. He had been here on this planet for at least a year. He felt safe. But Din knew he would spend the night thinking about what his filthy hands would do to you if he would leave now.

Why was he so intrigued by you?

Since the moment he had first laid his eyes on you, it was like you crawled all the way inside him and wouldn’t leave.

Now he was here, watching you like a fucking creep as you pulled your dress off, and fuck, of course you were completely naked underneath.

Out of all the things he had done before, watching someone about to have sex was probably the creepiest. But he couldn’t stop. It was like he was…pulled towards you, and he couldn’t fucking explain why.

He clenched his teeth as you climbed into the bounty’s lap. You were smiling as his greedy hands touched your flawless skin. You were grinding on top of him, and fuck, you looked so fucking sexy. He imagined it was him, not the bounty, beneath you. He would let his hands explore your body, wrap his lips around your stiff nipples, his fingers seeking your slick warmth. He wouldn’t stop until you were screaming his name.

His cock twitched with interest in his pants. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had been with someone.

He closed his eyes, taking a few calming breaths. Why was he behaving like this? He was feeling possessive over someone he had never even talked to. When he opened his eyes, he tensed. The bounty’s hand was wrapped around your throat, his other hand holding both of your wrists behind your back. You were gasping for air while struggling against his hold, and the bounty was grinning darkly up at you. You fought against him, your legs kicking and scrambling to get away from him.

It only took seconds for Din to jump through the window. The loud crash of his sudden entrance surprised the bounty enough that he let go of you. And before anything else could happen, Din shot him straight between the eyes. He fell back with a grunt while you jumped and fell to the floor, your hands on your throat.

Din stood in the middle of the room, water dripping down onto the floor as he looked at the dead bounty. Din was panting, cursing to himself for losing his cool like that. He just lost a big fucking portion of credits for shooting his bounty. He could have brought him in warm.

He heard you gasp as you tried to breathe. His helmet snapped towards you.

You were cowering in the corner of the room, shivering, your hands clutching your throat. You were completely naked.

Din sighed. He shouldn’t take advantage of your vulnerable state, shouldn’t be admiring your body right now, but fuck, you were so beautiful. Once again, he was thankful for the helmet hiding his face as his eyes lingered a little too long on your tits. He flexed his fingers, uncertain of what to do next.

You were shaking, one hand coming up to run your fingers over your cheek. You were bleeding. But that was not what made Din inhale sharply.

There was a soulmate mark just under your right collarbone. A mudhorn in deep black ink.

Had you met your soulmate already? No… No, you couldn’t have… Din had seen that same soulmate mark countless times. He…. He… He had to tell you…

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You didn’t know exactly when everything went wrong. In one moment, you were grinding against the Twi’lek, and in the next moment, he was choking you so hard you almost passed out. Everything was a blur. There was a loud crash then a blastershot, and you fell to the floor, scrambling to the other side of the room, clutching your throat.

You were breathing harshly, trying to get air into your lungs.

You were aware of someone else being in the room. You ran a hand over your forehead, before you heard a sharp inhale of breath. Finally looking up, your eyes met beskar. Beskar you had seen before.

It was the Mandalorian, his armour wet with rain, dripping to the floor.

Had he been outside? Had he been watching?

You were still shaking, now aware of your very naked body in front of the very big Mandalorian. His helmet seemed focused on you, likely watching your small mental breakdown. Abruptly, he turned away from you, only to turn around and hand you a blanket. You reached your hand up, taking the blanket and pulling it around your body.

“Thank you…” you said hoarsely.

“Are you hurt?” his modulated voice asked.

“Just my dignity.”

You heard a sigh.

“I…I saw you at the club…” you croaked.

You saw him rest one of his hands on his hip, his helmet tilting down to look at you. Why was he so big and broad? You should be screaming for help, yet here you were ogling the Mandalorian.

“I was.”

“What were you doing there?”

“Your… companion. He had a bounty on his head.”

Your eyes widened.

“And now my cut is gonna be significantly lower because he’s dead. Because I saved you…”

“I didn’t ask you to—”

He interrupted you by taking a step towards you, and you swallowed, looking up at him.

“He would have choked you to death. And then he might have still have taken advantage of you. Do you even know who this is?” the Mandalorian hissed.

You hadn’t thought about that. Of what could have happened to you after you agreed to spend the night with someone you basically knew nothing about than the amount of money he paid for you. Maker… But still…

“He was supposed to be my next paycheck. Now I have to search for a new one,” you snapped back. You were getting angry. Who did he think he was? You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath before you opened them again. The Mandalorian had turned to his side, staring out of the broken window.

You took the time to look at him, really look at him and that was when you saw it. A mudhorn. On his pauldron. It was a signet that looked exactly like your… Like your soulmate mark. That… That couldn’t be a coincidence?

This… This… No… this couldn’t be.

You reached for the blanket around your shoulders to pull it closer around your body, much like a protective shield.

“You’re…. Do you… Do you have a soulmate mark?” you whispered.

The Mandalorian turned around to look at you, and you felt like the air around you changed all of the sudden.

“Yes,” he said.

You nodded, taking a deep breath. “Is it… is it a mudhorn? Like on your armour?” you whispered, gesturing up towards him, the blanket shifting so your mark was on display for him to see.

He took some time to answer you, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as if he was deliberating. Finally, he spoke. “Yes,” he whispered.

“Is it… Is it on your collarbone too?”

“Yes,” he said right away, and you gasped.

“Are you…?”

“Your soulmate?” the Mandalorian asked, and you nodded. “I have the matching mark. So yeah. Yeah, I think you’re my soulmate.”

It would certainly explain why you felt this…pull between the two of you.

“Show me…” you whispered, and he shook his head.

“Not here. Not… I am not… My armour stays on when I’m not… I can’t show you. Not here.”

You took a deep breath. You had read about Mandalorians. There were some who never took off their armour or helmet in front of anyone other than family.

“What… What does this mean? For us?”

“I think we have to stay together,” he said, and you frowned.

“I don’t even know you. I can’t just…” you shook your head at him.

“It’s not like we can break the soulmate bond,” he said, like neither of you had a choice, “so we better accept our fates now and…”

That was true. You had heard the stories of soulmates who met but chose to not spend their time together who died because their soul couldn’t handle to be apart from each other.

“I could kill you,” you deadpanned. “That would break the soulmate bond, wouldn’t it?”

“You could try, but…” he shrugged and let his words trail off.

“Be very careful of your next words,” you warned.

“Look, I’m a bounty hunter, you could try to run but sooner or later I would find you. And…why fight this? The universe wants us to be together…”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

This was not how Din had planned this day. He…had changed in the last months. Even more so since he had to let Grogu go. He longed for someone to…love him. And here you were with his clan sign on your collarbone, and you were beautiful and didn’t take anyone’s shit.

Yet, here he was threatening you…

He sighed.

He was going about this all wrong.

“You know how the soulmate bond works,” he said. “We will be miserable and eventually die, if we don’t stay together now that we’ve met.”

You raised your eyebrow at him.

If he wanted you to go with him, he had to make you trust him. Trust him as your soulmate.

He took a deep breath and grabbed his vibroblade. He offered it to you, handle first.

“There’s a spot just below my helmet on my neck that is not covered by beskar. If you truly don’t want to get to know me, which I can understand after how I’ve behaved, just end it now. There’s a ship docked in the hangar on slot 77. The entrance code is 209887. You will find credits in the compartment under the pilot’s panel. The ship will be yours. Kill me and take it if that’s what you want.”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You stared at the vibroblade in his hand before you looked up at him again. Slowly you reached for the blade, clicking it on.

It burst to life, flickering in your hand. You looked at the blade and then up to the Mandalorian.

Ever since your soulmate mark made itself known all those years back, you had the romantic idea of running into your soulmate one day and living happily ever after. Never in your wildest dreams did you think it would be like this: naked and vulnerable. But…you looked down at the blade in your hand again. He had made himself vulnerable too.

Yes. Yes, he was a complete stranger, but you couldn’t deny that you felt pulled towards him—from the moment you saw him in the cantina. Was this really the soulmate bond?

If it was, you knew that he was right and that you would eventually die if you didn’t stay with him.

What reason did he have to lie to you about something like that? He… had to be your soulmate, right? He had the matching mark right there on his armour. That must mean something.

You got familiar with the weight of the blade in your hand, gripping your fingers more tightly around the handle. You could kill him. Just like that. You’d have credits and a ship, and you could go wherever you wanted and never again be dependent on other people paying you for your company. You sucked your bottom lip into your mouth, missing the way the Mandalorian’s helmet was fixed on your soulmate mark that was peeking out under the blanket.

But if you killed him right here, you would never experience the things you’d only ever read about. Soulmate bonds are supposed to be sacred. If you found your match, you were destined to be perfect for each other.

You looked up at the Mandalorian.

You couldn’t deny how you felt towards him since first seeing him in the Cantina. You never reacted that way to anyone before. You just had to have a little faith…

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Din waited, not moving a muscle as he watched you decide what to do. He knew if you did try to kill him, he could block you in seconds, but he wanted to give you time to decide for yourself what you wanted to do.

He wanted you to choose this. Choose him.

Soulmate bonds were sacred. If you really killed your soulmate, you would never be happy ever again. He didn’t think you’d take that risk.

He watched you shut off the vibroblade and hand it back to him.

“I have to get to my place to…get some stuff.”

“Okay,” he said, breathing out a quiet sigh of relief.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook here. This doesn’t mean anything. I just… I always dreamed of meeting my soulmate. And…. While this is not how I imagined the meeting would go, I am…strangely fascinated? I need to see where this goes. For myself. And… I trust you to not kill me. For some reason. So I’m going with you.”

“That… That’s good. I’m glad. You won’t regret it.”

“I think the universe will make sure of that,” you said, giving him a small smile.

Din felt like he couldn’t breathe. You were…so beautiful.

“Well, how about I take care of the bounty and you meet me at the hangar? I would go with you but—”

“Oh no. Take him and do…whatever you have to do with him. I don’t want to end up costing you anymore credits,” you said.

Din flinched. “I’m—I shouldn’t have—”

“Yeah. Yeah,” you cut him off. “Apparently, you’re going to have a lot of time to make up for it. So…” You turned away from him, searching for your little sparkly dress and put it back on.

Din was hard as a rock in his pants as he watched you slip the fabric over your body.

You smoothed it over your hips and faced him again. “I’ll see you on your ship then I guess?”

“Yes.”

He watched you leave, taking a deep breath when the door clicked shut behind you. Din looked down at the dead bounty. He took his com out, informing Karga about the unfortunate death and sent him a confirmation, getting an answer and the notification of payment right away. Karga would have someone take care of the body for him.

And that meant Din had enough time to make a quick stop inside the city to make sure nothing would prevent him from keeping you to himself.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You were clearly insane.

Why did you say you would go with him? A man you didn’t know?

You didn’t even know if he was a man. You were pretty positive he was one, though you couldn’t say why. A smile sneaked to your face as you packed some of your clothes.

You had met your soulmate.

Finally.

Even though the circumstances weren’t anything close to what you’d imagined, you couldn’t help but be…happy. You felt it—the bond. It was real. You were attracted to the Mandalorian. You wanted to be close to him. After knowing him for less than an hour, you wanted… You wanted to be with him.

There was nothing holding you back here. You had the chance to see the universe with your soulmate by your side.

You laughed to yourself.

You would be happy with him. This was fate. You and the Mandalorian were made for each other.

You grabbed your little bag full of clothes and some personal items before you quickly made your way towards the hangar.

To start your life with your soulmate.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When he told you he had a ship, you thought about…well…a ship. A ship you could board and sleep in to join him on his travels. You weren’t expecting a N1 starfighter. The midlife crisis of spaceships.

There was no way you would be able to fit in that tiny passenger bubble.

He was sitting in the cockpit when you got there with your tiny bag slung over your shoulder. It was disturbing how few possessions you owned. He pulled himself out of the seat to help you with your bag.

“Where…will I be sitting?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You had changed. You were wearing boots, dark pants, and a green sweater. You looked…It sounded stupid but you looked even more beautiful. You didn’t need glitter and sparkles. He wanted you just like this.

“I admit I might not have thought this through,” he sighed, slightly frustrated with himself while the thought of you having to ride in the cockpit with him was…anything but unpleasant.

“Where are we going?” you asked him.

That was a good question. He had to return this ship. He had gotten a message from Peli that she had found a Crest. He had listened to her rambling about it being a newer model and complaining about being able to get a better ship, but he had insisted it had to be something he was familiar with.

Once he switched ships he wanted to take you somewhere where the two of you could be alone. He wanted you to himself. He needed you to trust him, get to know him. To love him.

“I have a new ship waiting for me. It’s a real ship. With sleeping cots and a fresher. And then… Then we can go wherever you want,” he promised.

He felt his mudhorn mark throb beneath his beskar.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Wherever you want? Where did you want to go?

You looked at him, the imposing Mandalorian who was your soulmate. All thoughts of doubt seemed to have disappeared once you had made your decision to just let fate do its thing. If the universe decided the two of you should be together, it must have a plan.

“I want to go somewhere with an ocean. Somewhere—somewhere I can take a deep breath. Somewhere where we can get to know each other? Like, are you even a human under all of this?”

He tilted his helmet at you, and you swore you could hear a chuckle.

“I am a human. Trust me.”

You narrowed your eyes playfully, and he took a step closer to you. Your breath hitched as you stared up into his visor, wondering if or when you would be able to see his face.

He was so close you could hear him breathe under his helmet.

“I will show you. Once we’re alone in space, deal?” he whispered.

You sucked your bottom lip in and nodded.

“Are you okay with riding in the cockpit with me? It’s a short trip. Seven hours.”

“Seven hours? Sitting in your lap? An hour after meeting you?” you asked.

“I promise to behave?” he asked, and you were rolling your eyes.

“Just get us out of here, Mando,” you said, shaking your head.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Din did not think this through.

The cockpit was tiny, and you were everywhere. You made a point to stay away from his crotch which he was thankful for. Once he had brought the ship up into hyperspace, you looked into the stars like it was the first time you saw them.

And then you began to ask questions. Where was he from? How old was he? What was his favourite colour?

You asked whatever came to your mind, and Din was getting addicted to hearing your laugh. At one point, you had looked over your shoulder with your beautiful eyes, and Din was sure he fell even more in love with you at that moment.

Love. A powerful word. An even more powerful feeling but it was what he felt for you already.

Now you were sleeping, your back resting against his chest as you held his hand. His ungloved hand. He had to prove to you that he was human after all.

As he looked down at you, he wondered if he deserved you. If he deserved… a soulmate. Someone to love. Someone to take care of.

You sighed in your sleep, and Din found himself smiling beneath his visor. Before he could stop himself, he pushed his helmet up so he could kiss the top of your head.

No one would take you away from him.

He would make sure of it.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The new ship was definitely an improvement. The Razor Crest had a big bed and a fresher with real water. It was almost more luxury than what you had in your tiny apartment back…home?

Coruscant never really felt like home. You looked at Mando… Din as he sat in the pilot’s chair.

You had left Tatooine a week ago. He had some business to take care off before he would take you somewhere where the two of you could be alone.

But in the last week, you had already gotten to know him.

You knew he wasn’t a morning person. He did not talk very much, but he made an effort to talk to you. He seemed to… He wanted to let you in. He answered every single question you had, asked you questions in return, and last night, he gave you his name.

You still hadn’t seen much of him. He let you hold his hand when you asked for it.

He had introduced you as his soulmate to whoever you had met.

And it made you feel warm and soft every single time.

He wasn’t the big scary bounty hunter you had met in the beginning. Din must have lived a lonely life. He had told you about how he grew up and how he had to give up his child only a little while ago.

Your heart broke for him as he told you about it. And after, you had held him in your arms, in the security of his dark bed where you hadn't been able to see him.

“We’ll be in Trask by morning,” Din said, and you looked at him. He had turned his seat towards you, and you gave him a small smile.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

You sucked your bottom lip in. “I… I want to see it,” you whispered.

Din tilted his head to the side.

“Your soulmate mark. I know you said there are rules with you Mandalorians. And… I remember our conversation about marriage. And…” you took a deep breath. You had been thinking about it for the last two days.

You were soulmates. There was no way you weren’t. Not with the way you were feeling when you were around him. Sometimes, you missed him when he was just on the other side of the ship.

You loved him. With all your heart.

Spending the last week with him had made that clear for you. You wanted to start your future with him. To make him laugh. To hold him. To love him.

And… You wanted to see him. To see the soulmate mark. To see the last proof of the universe marking him as yours before you vowed to be his for the rest of your life.

And you didn’t want to waste any more time not being his in all ways possible.

“Cyar’ika…” he said quietly.

“Show me,” you got up from your seat, putting your hands on his shoulders as he looked up at you.

“Show me and then make me yours Din Djarin,” you smiled softly.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

There was a part of Din that felt guilty.

Guilty about not giving the both of you more time. Guilty about how the two of you met only a week ago, even if it felt like a lifetime ago.

Guilty about not being able to give you more.

But as you looked down at him with your beautiful eyes, the soft smile on those plush lips he loved so much, he wanted nothing more than to give you what you asked for.

“If I show you…” he whispered.

“Technically only if you take your helmet off, but yeah I know. And for the record. I want to marry you. You’re my soulmate. And we already talked about this. We’re bound to be together by the stars. Make me yours,” you said.

Din took a deep, shaky breath. Slowly, he began to unclasp every part of the beskar of his body, setting it down on the floor. When he was left only in his flight suit and helmet, he slowly slipped off his gloves.

He was nervous.

He wondered if you would like it. The mudhorn. And…the rest of him. For some reason, he felt vulnerable around you, even though he knew he did not have to be. You were his and his alone. And after he took this last step, nothing would be able to separate you.

Ever.

Slowly, he began to pull at the zipper of his flight suit, revealing inch after inch of skin to your eyes. He gulped when the zipper rested just under his navel, and you reached a hand out.

“Can I?”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

He nodded, and you smiled, taking a deep breath, before your fingertips ran over his chest, pushing the fabric to the side until you saw it. A mudhorn. On his right collarbone. The same mudhorn you had on yours. Your smile widened, your fingers tracing the shape of it, and you felt him shiver beneath you.

Not that you had any doubts, but…this…this made it feel even more real. Slowly, you leaned down, giving him time to stop you before your lips softly kissed his soulmate mark. His hand came up to yours on his chest, and he gasped.

“I love you, Din Djarin,” you whispered. “And I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Din stared at his reflection in the tiny mirror of the fresher. His fingers tracing the mudhorn of his collarbone.

You were his.

You were about to become his wife.

Right now, you were waiting in his bed, smelling like the soap he used because you had showered before him. He would be a husband in a matter of moments, and then he would finally be able to kiss you.

To touch you the way he had longed to ever since meeting you.

He took a deep breath as he exited the fresher without his helmet, only a towel wrapped around his hips. The ship was dark aside from the faint light coming from the cot, and he could see your bare legs the closer he got.

“My eyes are closed,” you promised, and he smiled.

“I trust you,” he said and entered the cot. He sat down on the bed next to you, his cock already hardening at the sight of you in one of his old shirts. You looked like a goddess, and he couldn’t believe you were his. He touched your ankle, and you jumped before you laughed.

“Repeat after me,” he whispered as he got on the bed. He carefully brought your leg up to kiss your ankle, listening to you exhale a sharp breath.

“Mhi solus tome,” he said, slowly kissing his way up your calf.

“M-Mhi solus tome,” you repeated. He smiled against your skin.

“Mhi solus dar’tome,” he continued, kissing up your thigh. He saw your fingers twitch.

“Mhi so… Mhi solus dar’tome,” you gasped.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You felt his fingers slowly pushing your shirt up, hearing his low groan when he noticed you were completely bare underneath. His lips kissed every part of new skin that was revealed to him.

“Mhi me’dinui an,” he rasped, and you moaned quietly as his lips kissed the underside of your left breast.

“Mhi medinui an,” you repeated after him, anticipation filling you as you felt his breath brush over your collarbone, kissing your soulmate mark. You smiled as he kissed your cheek.

“Mhi ba’juri verde,” he finished, and you took a deep breath.

“Mhi ba’juri verde,” you whispered, before you slowly blinked your eyes open. He was smiling down at you, his brown eyes on yours. He was… He was absolutely breathtaking, and suddenly, everything seemed to finally shift into place.

He was yours, and you were his.

“Kiss me, husband,” you smiled, and Din wasted no time before he pressed his lips down on yours.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

He was…everywhere.

His lips on yours.

His hands pushing your shirt up until he could pull it off.

His chest against yours.

His cock…

You gasped as you felt him against your thigh, his knee between your legs, moving just enough to give you some friction.

“Din…” you gasped, his lips wandering down your throat. He looked up at you with dark eyes. You were grinding your cunt against his thigh, desperate to feel him.

“Please…” you begged, your hands in his hair, lightly pulling.

“What do you want, beautiful girl?” he hummed before his lips kissed the soft skin of your breast.

“You… I… I want you inside…”

He bit into the side of your breast, making you cry out.

“Mine,” he groaned before he kissed up your chest, and you felt him shift, one of his hands dipping in between your legs.

“You’re so wet for me. So wet for your husband,” he grinned and pushed two fingers inside easily.

“My soulmate,” you smiled at him, and his eyes softened before he kissed you again. His fingers kept moving in and out of you, his thumb flicking your clit and you moaned softly against his lips.

You felt like you were going to burst.

If this was why the universe made a soulmate, you had to make sure to show some gratitude.

“Cum for me,” Din whispered against your ear. He sucked your earlobe between his lips.

“Cum for your soulmate,” he hummed, and you shattered. Your fingers dug into his strong back as your vision blacked out, your orgasm pulling you under until you were gasping for air.

“That’s it. Such a good girl for me…” you heard Din praise you, and you whimpered.

He looked down at you, and if you did not love him already, the look of pure affection he was giving you would have been enough.

He pulled his fingers from inside of you, wrapping them around his cock to coat it in your slick, and you felt the tip of his cock nudging against your entrance.

“I don’t have an implant,” you whispered as you looked up at him.

“I—fuck—me neither.”

You reached up to cup his cheek, and he leaned into your hand, closing his eyes.

“It’s okay. I—I just wanted you to know… I… You can…” you flustered.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

He was sure he was gonna black out. He was holding on to every bit of restraint he had.

“Are—are you sure?” he asked you. You were sucking your bottom lip in, looking shyly up at him with your big beautiful eyes as you nodded.

“I am. I… You can cum inside of me. I want you to.”

“Fuck,” he muttered and kissed you again.

You were perfect. His perfect wife. His.

He was still kissing you when he slowly pushed inside of you. He wanted to savour this moment. The moment he finally claimed what was his.

Forever.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You closed your eyes as you felt him enter you. Slowly, his thick length pushed inside of you for what felt like hours until he stilled, his cock settled deep inside you. He filled you so well he must have been made for you.

“Look at me,” he whispered, and you opened your eyes.

“I love you,” he said, and you smiled. You wrapped your arms around his back to pull him closer, wanting to feel his weight on top of you, his face buried in the crook of your neck.

“I love you too,” you whispered against his ear with a smile.

And then he began to move. Slowly at first. He kissed every part of skin he could reach, thrusting deep and slow until you hooked your legs behind his.

“Claim me, baby,” you cried out, and he growled, letting go of the last bit of his self control as he began to fuck you.

Hard and fast, your whole body moved with the strength behind his thrusts.

“Mine,” he hissed, biting your shoulder. One of his hands was holding your hip while his other pulled your chin up towards his, his weight on his elbows above you.

“I’m not gonna last. Your pussy is so fucking perfect. Made for me,” he moaned, and you whined.

He pushed himself up, kneeling in between your legs, both of his hands digging into your hips as he pumped into you. The changed angle made him hit something devastating inside of you, and you whimpered.

“I’m gonna…”

“Cum,” he ordered, and you came, fluttering around his hard cock as he fucked you through your orgasm.

“Fuck,” he hissed.

“Gonna fucking cum inside you… Pump you full of my cum until it takes…” he groaned.

“Gonna breed you until you’re round with my child so everyone can see you’re mine. Fucking mine.”

He threw his head back, and you felt him twitch inside of you as he filled you with his seed.

You were out of breath but smiling when he opened his eyes to look down at you.

“Forever,” you smiled, and he smiled back. And you couldn’t help but feel lucky that you were the only one who would see this smile.

“Forever,” he whispered before he pulled you up against his chest so he could kiss you.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Later, Din looked at you as you slept in his arms, his fingers stroking over the mark on your collarbone that matched his. He knew he had to have you from the first moment he laid eyes on you. And if that meant getting your soulmate mark tattooed on his right collarbone for you to trust him...well, he would do it again in a heartbeat.

He still remembered his actual soulmate mark, a dark primrose on his left thigh that eventually scarred over after he was stabbed one too many times.

He could only hope his true soulmate never showed up, and he would make sure you never met yours even if it meant never seeing his covert again.

Because one thing was for sure, you were his. And no one would take you away from him.

Tbc

#my stuff #fanfiction #Din Djarin x fem. reader #din djarin #Pedro pascal #the mandalorian #soulmate au #fanfic #fan fiction #my fic

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lamaenthel · 3 months

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"You Lied To Me"

[read on ao3][masterlist]Febuwhump prompt: "You Lied To Me."

Coronet City detectives Avana and Freerly respond to a crime scene where a gonk blew some poor Kiffar's head off. Once they get a hold of the datachip, they find out why.

Characters: Ailyn Vel, Sintas Vel, Mirta Gev, Boba Fett, Original Characters Wordcount: 1284

"So bomb squad's cleared it?" Avana slammed the speeder door, took one last drag off her t'bac stick, and tossed it. "Last thing I want is to get blown up by some leftover banthashit that nobody noticed."

"They been over the place with a fine-tooth comb." Freerly, her Rodian partner, poked her shoulder with a suctioncup-tipped finger as they walked to the crime scene. She brushed it away irritably with her lek, scowling. He was doing it to annoy her, he damn well knew she hated the marks it left behind. He snickered and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Don't worry, kid, your purple ass is safe."

"Yeah, yeah." Avana flashed her badge to the droid at the door and carefully stepped over the rubble. The apartment building was nice for the area. The damage was thankfully localized to their vic's apartment. Besides a few cracks in the wall she shared with her neighbor, the damage beyond was minimal. Broken transparasteel shards crunched under Avana's feet like spring snow as she picked her way over to the body.

"Vic is Sintas Vel. Kiffar bounty hunter, came to Coronet City a few months ago. Born on Coruscant, hopped dozens of planets." Freerly shrugged. "You know the type."

"Yeah." Avana crouched and gingerly poked the ruined cavity of bone and meat that was Vel's face. "And the bomb was in a gonk?"

"Apparently. This was a straight-up assassination." Freerly moved out of the way of an evidence collection droid. "Forensics thinks they found a holotransmitter, though. They're trying to reparse the datachip right now."

"Detectives!" A Human man with tightly braided hair and large glasses waved at them.

"Speak of the Sith." Avana followed her partner to the technician's workstation.

"I've got what looks to be a holovid attached to a timer. When it ended, the gonk blew up."

Avana's lekku jabbed into her spine. "Were you able to get the message?"

"Sure was. Here we go." The woman in the hologram was young and pretty, pale with a purple tattoo like a block made of three, thick lines that covered almost half of her face; it was a qukuff, Avana realized a moment later, a Kiffar clan marking. The girl was at least part Kiffar, she could see it from the way that she hunched in her chair, tall as a karking gundark. She had a toddler in her lap with thick line markings similar to hers painted on her cheek. "Hi, Mom," she said to the cam.

Avana and Freerly exchanged grimaces.

"It's been a rough few years for us, I know. Between the jobs and, and what happened with Makin…" the woman glanced in the direction of her child. "I thought I could find closure if I found him. If I found my father. And if I killed him for what you said he did to us."

"Oh, shit," Freerly mumbled.

"You told me he was horrible. He was a cold-blooded murderer, a, a serial killer. You said that he terrified you, made you believe that he'd kill you if he left. You were his victim, and you were afraid he was going to murder me too." The woman shushed the irritated toddler wiggling in her lap. "Mama's almost done, Mirta. Just wait." She turned back to the cam. "So I decided I was going to do something about it. I'm good. I'm damn good. You raised me and trained me. And I'm not just your daughter, I'm Boba Fett's daughter. I can get him. That's…" She blinked again.

"She's crying," Avana said softly.

"I took a bounty out on myself on Tatooine. For return only, I'm not an idiot." She sniffed. "He picked me up within hours. Easy credits for him, right? I don't have the rep in Huttspace. So he picks me up and I don't cause a fuss, and that's when I ask him if he wants to share dinner with me before he turns me in. I had… I had a whole fucking plan. You know pepperleaf—the one from Kiffex, not Kifu, the one that's toxic to non-Kiffars—I had a whole roll of it in my bag, ground down 'till it just looked like the normal Kiffu stuff. I…"

Freerly let out a low whistle. "Uh oh."

"He bought some meat, then we went back out to the edge of town and made a camp. He didn't feel like dealing with the crowds, he said. I cooked that meat real well after I seasoned it." Her eyes unfocused. "I took the bounty out under an alias. But after we ate, he asked me my parent's names. Asked if I was really Ailyn. He knew who I was as soon as he saw the bounty. You know how he knew?" Her big brown eyes snapped back to the cam. "Because I have his eyes, Mom. I have his fucking eyes and you never bothered to tell me.

"There were a lot of things you never bothered to tell me, apparently. Like how my dad wasn't a damn psychopath like you made him out to be. That he almost always brought his bounties in alive unless it was a killjob. That the murder he allegedly committed on Concord Dawn was of the governor's son who got high on spice and raped you while he was at work." She was outright glaring at the camera now. "And you kicked him out for it. Forced him to stay away, convinced him that he was a monster that would end up getting me killed. So he did stay away. He stayed away my entire life because that was what you wanted, Mom. You know what else he did?"

The three investigators leaned forward.

"He made me a savings account. Completely legit, made deposits every single single month for seventeen years. I had no idea." Ailyn's pupils dilated. "You did. He told you about it and gave you all the information. Said it was for when I reached the age of responsibility. Almost a million credits in that account, Mom, not to mention what was in the safety deposit box. Remember about five years ago when you won the lottery?"

"Oh, shit," Avana said again, covering her mouth.

"I didn't bring an antidote. I didn't need one. I'm immune." Ailyn shuddered with the effort of holding back her tears, visibly haunted. "You lied to me. I killed my father for you, and come to find out all he ever did was love me and support me from afar. And then on top of that, you stole my motherfucking money." Ailyn wiped away the tears that had escaped furiously, then fixed the cam with a death glare. "Well unfortunately for you, Mom, I remember everything you taught me, and one of the first things was that you never fuck with a hunter's money, and here you are fucking with mine. And the second thing was to make sure that whoever fucks with your money goes out with a bang so that nobody else gets the bright idea." Ailyn raised the little girl up and shook her hand at the cam. "Bye bye, Mirta, say bye bye!"

"Bye bye gamma!" Mirta sang, waving happily.

Ailyn lowered her back to her lap. "Say hi to Dad for me," she said—her smile was wide, unnerving, and didn't go anywhere near her eyes.

The holorecording ended. The three stood still, silent, completely shocked for at least a minute. Avana glanced over her shoulder to the corpse being loaded onto a stretcher.

"That is one fucked up family," Freerly finally said.

Avana reversed the holorecording and paused on the little girl's face. She had her mother's eyes.

Taglist: @starwarsficnetwork, @febuwhump, @soliloquy-of-nemo Divider: @saradika-graphics

#ailyn vel #sintas vel #mirta gev #boba fett #febuwhump #febuwhumpday5

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fionajames · 7 months

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ocs pt. 2

apologies but i love making characters

GUYS IM SO SORRY FOR BEING ABSENT TODAY, I HAD TO WORK ON AN ASSIGNMENT AND THEN DRIVE AN HOUR TO MY COUSINS' PLACE FOR A BIRTHDAY AND THEN DRIVE AN HOUR BACK PLUS IVE BEEN TAKING CARE OF MY LITTLE BRO AND SIS

@lovejoysoots u asked to be tagged so here :) also, hope its okay i included xane in taki's info!

GUYS REQUEST.

ALSO, I REALISE KNOW IVE ONLY JUST MENTIONED THIS, BUT IF Y'ALL WANT I CAN WRITE AN 'X READER' WITH MY OC IF U LIKE THEM THAT MUCH BUT YOU. HAVE. TO. TELL. ME.

ANYWAYS, ENJOY, AND SORRY AGAIN

Taki Caileth

Taki is a Nautolan Bounty Hunter with dark violet skin and magenta, lilac and pastel purple. His eyes are purely black (as Nautolan eyes usually are).

He's eighteen in 22 BBY and became a Bounty Hunter when he was merely a kid - because he grew up on Glee Anslem until he was eight and then was hurriedly taken away, growing up on Tatooine and Corellia, as well as all over the galaxy.

He fights best with a sword or a blaster rifle. Taki is decently well-known as a Bounty Hunter under the name of Maverick (not related to Top Gun, it literally means an independent person). Whilst many know Maverick, not many know Taki.

Taki works - as the word maverick means - independently. It's not because he hates people or anything but because of trust issues after his family's death.

During the Clone War, Taki sides with whoever pays - and usually the GAR, because he feels bad for the clones. Not the senate, not the republic, not the Jedi, the clones.

He's smart and calculating yet sarcastic and loyal. His loyalty can be his downfall as he tends to trust easily and so his solution is to not get too close to anyone.

On several occasions, Taki has teamed up with fellow Bounty Hunter Xane. They are a scarily and shockingly good team and share several views over things, although Taki sides with the GAR more, Xane has a disliking towards a certain Jedi named Anakin Skywalker.

Although Taki is moving alot, he has a place on the lower levels of Coruscant which he uses as a base.

During the war, as everyone is desperate for money, Bounty Hunters become very valuable. One Bounty Hunter was doing a job for the Separatists and kidnapped a Jedi Youngling - an eight year old Rodian boy. Desperately, the GAR hired Taki, who went and retrieved the boy. In the process, he lost his left leg from the knee down. In thanks, the Jedi gave him a black-metal prosthetic and paid him about 70% of what he was originally supposed to earn, even though the prosthetic cost about the same price as the original payment. Taki begins to side even more with the GAR because the Separatists captured an innocent child - which he sees as very wrong, as something similar happened to him when he was younger.

Taki doesn’t really have a best friend but he’s closest with Xane and the Rodian Youngling he rescued.

Satsuki Noriko

Satsuki is a Human girl with light freckled skin, short, fluffy (dyed) red hair and black eyes. She’s seventeen in 22 BBY. Her grandmother was a Mandalorian who left Mandalore for reasons she refuses to explain.

Satsuki has a shop on the middle layers of Coruscant where she paints armour and helmets, as well as ships and speeders occasionally. When the clone wars came around, Satsuki decided to increase her work hours - in hopes of getting more customers and more money - so she could allow Clones to come in. Because the Clones aren’t paid, Satsuki doesn’t charge them for any money.

She’s kind and generous, but also sarcastic and stubborn. Her best friend is a Clone trooper named Trinket. Trinket once saved an old, rich woman off-planet who insisted on giving him her expensive jewellery as thanks. Trinket gave all of it to Satsuki as payment for the paints, materials and her time on behalf of all the Clones.

Satsuki is part of a rather large family with one fourteen year old sister, one eight year old half-sister and one six year old half-brother. The family do family dinners weekly and Satsuki gets along best with her sisters and brother and grandmother. Her grandmother is your resident badass grandmother who is incredibly scary and awesome.

Satsuki has and will beat up anyone who talks shit about the Clones and is their number 1 protector. She hangs out with Trinket, Fox, Rex, Cody and Vyper (the unnamed Commander of the 13th Battalion who I’ve named) the most.

Satsuki sees the Clones as her brothers and best friends, and has to be daily convinced not to sneak on board to join the fight.

One time, Satsuki introduced Rex to her grandmother and her grandmother instantly called him bu’ad and he almost cried.

The Clones and her have frequent conversations in pure Mando’a and it’s rather entertaining.

Rin Keiko

Rin is a human girl with long black hair, dark brown eyes and tan skin. She’s 16 in 22 BBY making her one of the youngest Jedi Knights, although not the youngest ever. Rin fought during the Battle of Geonosis alongside her Mirialan Master Aoi Tsumugi. During the fight, Aoi was struck down and Rin was forced to continue fighting for her life, feeling alone even though surrounded by hundreds of other Jedi.

After the battle, Rin managed to convince the Council into Knighting her using her points that one; Aoi was going to Knight her in a few months anyway, two; they’re scarce for Knights and need all they can get, and three; she is ready.

Rin was then Knighted and given a battalion of her own to lead as General. Alongside her Clone Commander Warden, of course.

Rin is what many describe as insane. She is protective to her troops and friends and would rather lay down her life than any of theirs. She’s reckless and smart but overconfident and cocky in a scary way. Her laugh is maniacal and intertwined with trauma, plus her troops are convinced she's either seeing ghosts or hearing voices. That doesn’t mean they don’t love her though! Their General is their sister and they are extremely horrified when they find out months after meeting her that she's still just a kid.

They are terrified for her when they accidentally somehow witness one of her PTSD-induced dreams (something a lot of Jedi get and are extremely dangerous) as she floated midair and objects swirled around her like a hurricane. She - frankly - looked possessed.

Rin starts losing it with the council a lot, laughing inappropriately and insanely and muttering loudly with huge grins. It’s terrifying for a sixteen year old to do that. If Rin wasn’t such a good fighter and General, the GAR would have probably forced her into some sort of insane asylum - or at least gotten her daily therapy.

Rin’s best friend is Warden and their like brother and sister, and all her friends are the Clones and some of the Jedi.

Iniko Edge

Iniko is a fourteen-year-old Pantoran Youngling boy. He has violet blue skin (colour hex code; #4157A2), golden yellow eyes, soft yellow markings on his arms, legs and hands, and curly raven black hair that is actually very dark, deep purple but only really obvious in certain lights.

Iniko has a double-bladed dark purple lightsaber that can be split into two separate lightsabers (like Cal’s). He got both crystals during the Gathering, and panicked because of it.

Iniko was apprenticed to Shaak Ti at the start of the Clone Wars and lives on Kamino. He trains there and has befriended many clones.

Iniko is a kind and quiet boy, but not shy. He loves befriending the Clones but is a bit quiet at first. All the Clones see him like a younger brother. After a few months of training with his Master on Kamino, Iniko is sent to assist other Jedi with missions and use Kamino as his base instead of Coruscant. He is sent as a Commander alongside Captain Rook and a small battalion of Clones. They aren’t really like battalions such as the 212th and 501st because they're a lot smaller and they have never gone on missions just with themselves. They don’t even go on missions as much as others, because thats how they work.

Iniko secretly cries for every Clones’ death and is a sweet Clones’ rights supporter. He befriends lots of other battalions’ clones - such as Cody, Rex, Jesse and others. He is best friends with Captain Rook, Ahsoka - who he teams up with during missions and was actually créchemates with - and several members of his squad - in particular Tripp, Kaz and Tempest.

Iniko also met Rin and sees her as an older sister, although Rook lectures him regularly about not taking after her reckless nature. Rook is extremely protective over him, and it shows through a lot. In fact, the entire squad - and others - are protective over him. But not in an obsessed way. They know that he can handle himself and that's what scares them.

Iniko is a wholesome boy and very similar to Dhole in a few ways because of it, but also different.

Iniko hides his breakdowns and illnesses and injuries and all that from everyone, because he believes he doesn’t matter as much. That’s one of the Temple’s faults. They brought up all the Younglings, Padawans, Knights and Masters to believe that peace was the most important thing, and to get it at all costs. Accidentally, they taught Iniko that he wasn’t worth as much as the battle, and so he remembers that. The Clones are slowly helping him but he’s still fragile.

DONE

HOPE U LIKED

IMMA GO HAVE A MENTAL BREAKDOWN

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bosquedemel · 3 months

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Review of Star Wars: Most Wanted by Rae Carson:

Sigh. Another book ruined by its last act. As I started reading I actually thought "Wow this is somewhat better than I expected. Carson is actually quite good at capturing the characters' voices and is also funny". But then.... well, let's go over it.

First, to expand on the above, yes, I thought the book was well-written at the beginning. The book is divided between Han's POV chapters and Qi'ra's, as they and their Rodian friend Tsuulo get caught up in an engineer's attempts to sell her tech to criminal syndicates. I thought Carson captured Han's voice pretty well, although this may just be my impression due to my -and presumably Carson's - familiarity with the character. Qi'ra's chapters are not as good; I definitely got the sense that she was a harder character to write and harder to get a sense of.

The first part of the book is significantly better than the second. The first chapters - especially Han's - are interesting and set the story well. I especially liked Han's interactions with Powlo and Tool. It's the little moments like that that always make me happy because it's that glimpse of humanity that makes SW worthwhile too (and why I'm here).

Halfway through, however, the plot stalls and the third act is a disaster. I should note that this book is 348 pages long which is way too many for this story. I almost felt - palpably - Carson's fatigue and disinterest settling in. I mean, it's right there. Her writing suffers from it, with absence of synonyms and repetition of phrases (count how many times Carson uses the phrase "blaster fire erupted" in the last chapters) and with increasingly shorter sentences. Like this. Which I hate. That makes the book seem less like a novel and more like a screenplay; any internal development work disappears and the plot goes through the motions in trying to get the characters from point A to point B. And the less said about the final chapters on the Kaldana's ship the better.

As for some self-admitted nitpicking relating to the SW universe and world-building, there are some things I found difficult to believe. One, Tsuulo is a Rodian aka alien aka persona non grata to the Empire. Yet, he, Qi'ra and Han go undercover as Imperial scientists in an Imperial holding cell. I guess it was lucky for them that these particular Imperial grunts weren't bigots (as an aside, these scientists are said to be ones who perform experiments on nonhumans...).

Two, apparently no one speaks Huttese in this story which is why Tsuulo - who does - can insult people without them knowing. Sure, most citizens of the galaxy probably don't speak Huttese, which is a space trade language, but space-faring criminal syndicates? Not one member of the Kaldana ship's crew understands Huttese? I know they operate in the Core but I'd think at least one of them would know a few words. Han is a young adult who never left Corellia, who lives in the sewers and works for a small-time gang, and he understands it.

Now, to be generous to Carson, this book is a prequel and that can definitely condition a writer's ability to be creative as they wish to (especially when it wasn't them who wrote the original story). But all in all I have to say I was just massively disappointed by the end of it.

#i'm not sure what was the point of Tsuulo only speaking huttese when he's from coruscant even #star wars most wanted #sw books #reviews #books

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mayhaps-a-blog · 1 year

Link

Chapter 3 of Damned, my Jedi OC fic, is up!

The story follows Mira after the death of Eeth Koth in Darth Vader (2017) as she grapples with the events of the comic.

Summary: And the bill comes due.

Enjoy!

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vespertilioart · 2 months

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Some of the first NPCs we adopted:

Zarl & Garl Zarlsburg

and Bobi (our s*utty rodian)

#star wars #star wars oc #star wars rpg #digital art #original character #force and destiny #eote #rodian #trandoshan #sw oc

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witchyhyena · 8 months

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We haven't even had our first real session yet and I'm in love with her.

#session 0 went great i think we decided we're space truckers #our pilot has 6 pit droids #its gonna be chaos i can't wait #edge of the empire #rodian #original character #ttrpg character

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annisthree · 1 year

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Chapter V: The spark

previous chapter // masterlist // next chapter

Pairing: Cassian Andor x Original Female Character

Word Count: ~6k

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Explicit language, canon typical violence, angst

Chapter summary: Marla and Cassian are ordered to go to Coruscant to meet with an anonymous informant that claims to have some valuable intel. It definitely doesn't look like a trap.

A/N:

Thank you for your patience. Life has been a bit funny recently, but I'm hoping to return to a weekly schedule soon. Just know that I deeply appreciate all the comments and kudos, and, in general, I appreciate all of you.

The warning has been in the tags since the very beginning, but just to reiterate: this has major spoilers to Andor.

Cross-posted on AO3 (same username).

The journey to Coruscant felt much longer than it really was.

Throughout the flight, Marla couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that settled in her gut as soon as they left Yavin IV. Perhaps it was the knowledge that they were walking into the rancor's den, right into the heart of the Empire, the exact opposite of where anyone with even a trace amount of survival instinct would go. Or perhaps it was the unspoken tension between her and Cassian, which seemed to have only grown since they came back from Ontasou.

As a result, she spent the entire flight in the cockpit, fingers tracing the control panel absentmindedly, eyes fixed on the never-ending stretch of stars outside. Cassian, on the other hand, retreated to the cargo bay, where he sat trying to finish reprogramming his new toy.

Marla couldn't help but wonder if the droid was supposed to take over the role of Cassian's best friend, now that she had clearly no longer fit the description.

Stars. They had definitely been spending too much together; she was beginning to imitate his signature broodiness.

The entrance to the cantina where they were supposed to meet the informant was tucked away in a dimly lit alleyway, and the only indication of its presence was the faint sound of music and laughter that spilt out onto the street. A neon sign above the door flickered in a hypnotic rhythm, casting an eerie multicoloured glow on the pavement.

'The Underbar, huh? Cause we're... underground? How smart. And how inviting.'

Cassian just shrugged, his eyes carefully scanning the surroundings. 'It's the only place where you can safely have these kinds of conversations. The owner is a sympathiser and has some sort of connections that allowed this place to be off the Imperial radar.'

'Connections?' Marla furrowed her brow, a reaction both to Cassian's words and to the foul smell that just hit her nostrils.

'Probably some dirt on someone important,' Cassian shrugged again and suddenly grabbed Marla's arm to stop her from bumping into a group of shady-looking Rodians that skittered past, their footsteps echoing on the grimy pavement.

'Seems like you've been here before.'

The edges of Cassian's lips quirked up ever so slightly. 'Once or twice.'

The door to the cantina was a thick slab of durasteel, dented and scratched from years of use. A few flickering surveillance cameras were mounted high above the entrance, scanning the area for any suspicious activity. Somehow, that didn't make Marla feel any safer.

As she continued to observe the building and the traffic around it, she felt Cassian's hand on her back, giving her a signal to move forward. Together, they crossed to the other side of the street and pushed the large door open.

Marla expected some sort of a check, maybe a search - she even had some credits at the ready, because even though the coat she had borrowed from Cassian was spacious enough to cover the blasters strapped to her thighs, she doubted even the most provisional search would miss that.

But it seemed she would get to keep her credits - clearly, no one cared what kind of people were entering the cantina.

It started to make more and more sense why Draven wanted her to watch Cassian's back in there.

'As soon as you're in, turn to the right and sit in one of the booths by the wall. Preferably the one in the corner, it will give you the best view. We're early, but I don't want to risk anyone seeing us walk in together,' he quietly instructed her as they walked through a dark corridor that ended with another set of doors. 'Any questions?'

Marla shook her head.

'Good. Go. I'll be right behind you.'

'Good luck,' she muttered, pushing her hands deep into her pockets and making sure the coat covered both her weapons.

If the exterior was far from being inviting, the interior was just... painful to experience. There was a thick layer of smoke and dust that hung in the air, making it difficult to see anything beyond a few metres. The walls were made of durasteel, with various marks and stains that showed the rough history of the establishment. And the smell... Maker, what was it?

No, probably better not to think about it.

As instructed, she chose the booth farthest to the right. Sitting down, she scanned the room and the people in it.

She counted twenty-three beings, including the band. Everyone looked suspicious, of course - but they were suspicious in a way that made them outside of her scope of interest. Sure, they were whispering something to one another, passing some small objects under the table - but that just meant they were too busy with their own illegal business to even notice Cassian and her.

'Welcome, miss. What can I get you today?'

Focused on scanning the room, she almost missed the tall waiter that appeared right next to her table. Not good. Cassian would have been disappointed with her lack of alertness.

'A beer, please.'

A shadow of annoyance ran through the waiter's face. 'Which one of the twenty different kinds of beer would you be interested in, miss?'

'The cheapest one?'

'Right. Of course. Coming right up.' She could have sworn she'd heard a quiet sigh of resignation as the waiter walked away. Or maybe it was the music. The band really had the most peculiar sound; it seemed they were fighting the instruments rather than playing them. Strangely, it only complemented the general atmosphere of the place.

Several minutes later, the waiter returned with her beer. She took a sip, and just as she began contemplating the terrible taste, the door to the cantina swung open, and Cassian walked in. With a certain level of relief, Marla saw that most people didn't seem to notice the newcomer - clearly, this was not one of the places where you could safely and openly pay attention to people.

Marla took another long sip of her beer and watched Cassian sit down at the bar and say something to the bartender. Moments later, he received a bottle of what she assumed was another one of the twenty types of beer they had in this place.

Clearly, he'd been here more than once or twice - there was warm familiarity behind the wide smile that the bartender was giving him as he started preparing another drink. Of course, that made sense; this wouldn't be the first time he was sent to meet with an informant. Still, Marla couldn't help but wonder what his usual visits here looked like - or, more precisely, if they involved any of the scantily-clad girls who were meandering slowly between the tables, clearly looking for their prey.

Not that it was any of her business, of course.

But still.

'The gentleman at the bar wanted to buy you a drink.'

She shifted her gaze onto the waiter and then back onto the bar, only to confirm there was exactly one gentleman sitting there at the moment. Cassian wasn't looking at her, instead carefully studying his own drink, but she could see a tiny smile forming on his lips as he took a long swig from his bottle.

'Oh. Erm. Thank you?' she said hesitantly, conscious of how hot the tips of her ears had turned. 'What is it?'

'This is our best Chandrilan whisky, the Hypernova Reserve,' the waiter recited. 'A rare and sought-after vintage, with a rich, smoky flavour and a smooth finish. It's distilled in the outer rim and aged for years in the finest Wroshyr barrels, giving it a unique taste that will satisfy even the most refined palate,' the waiter flashed a judgemental look at Marla and the bottle of cheap beer in front of her.

'Thank you,' she mumbled, praying for the man to leave her alone with her drinks.

Suddenly, the door opened with a swoosh, and a tall human male entered the cantina. He had rather pale skin and a neatly shaved head. He was probably around the same age as her or Cassian, maybe slightly older. He didn't seem armed, maybe apart from the knife she noticed flashing in his boot - but who here didn't have at least a knife? He would have been more suspicious if he had been entirely unarmed. Suspicious, or stupid - either wasn't an attribute of a good informant.

Because yes, by now she was sure - that was the man they were supposed to meet. Cassian must have sensed that too - he remained still and seemingly busy with his drink, but there was a muscle jumping in his tightly-clenched jaw that told her he was aware and ready to act.

Marla slowly placed her hands on her thighs, ready to reach for her blasters should the situation escalate - and then she waited, trying not to be too obvious about her intentions.

In the meantime, the man stopped maybe a couple of steps away from Cassian. It looked as if he was trying to decide something - he was squinting his eyes and drilling a hole in the back of Cassian's head. But he still didn't do anything that would qualify him as a potential danger. At least not yet.

Shit. Cassian would have instantly read the guy's intentions and known what to do. Meanwhile, here she was, her brain going back and forth between 'just shoot a hole through his head before he notices you' and 'fuck, but what if it really isn't a trap?' .

And then the man said something, quietly, too quietly for Marla to hear - but clearly not too quietly for Cassian, who turned with an almost inhuman speed, pushed the barrel of his gun directly into the man's stomach - and then froze.

They stayed like that for a moment: Marla pointing her blaster at the stranger, with her finger ready on the trigger; the man staring at Cassian, the tiniest smirk on his face; and finally Cassian, staring back, just as intently, but with a new, strange look on his face. Or, more precisely, a sequence of looks: he started out focused, then opened his eyes a little wider, then let out a surprised breath, and finally - lowered his gun.

And then he gave the man the strongest, most sincere hug she'd ever seen him give.

The door closed with a thud, and soon enough, Cassian heard footsteps. He decided not to turn around so as not to betray his uneasiness, instead choosing to focus on the sounds. Heavy boots, fast and determined pace, clearly approaching in the direction of the bar.

But then the footsteps stopped somewhere between one and two metres behind Cassian, according to his assessment. For a moment, the person just stayed there, and Cassian's hand twitched towards his blaster - and then he heard the last thing he had been expecting to hear.

'Keef Girgo, I'll be damned.'

Shit.

His instincts took over - as if on autopilot, he turned his whole body around on the bar stool, his hand reaching for his blaster before his brain even fully registered what was happening. It took no more than two seconds, but he had managed to mentally go through the list of people who would know this alias, as well as try to estimate what the price on his head might be. If for some reason he wouldn't be able to fight the man, maybe he could bribe him...?

But the two seconds had passed, and he was now facing the opponent. He immediately noted a couple of details: he didn't see any blasters pointed at him, at least not in the nearest vicinity. He also didn't register any white armour or navy uniforms, another good sign.

And then he looked up, right into the familiar dark eyes he'd seen so many times and never expected to see again.

'Melshi.'

Yes, that was definitely him. There was something new, something purposeful and determined in his eyes - but these were the same eyes Cassian had seen every day for months whenever they were lining up in their cells to start their shifts, the same eyes that had followed him each time he took his break to work on the water pipes, and the same eyes that had carefully studied his face when he lied and said Maarva was fine.

'I thought I recognised that scruffy head.'

'And you decided to give me a heart attack?' Cassian murmured, lowering his blaster. Melshi shrugged, a shadow of a smile running through his face. 'It's good to see you.'

And he meant it... but not entirely. Yes, it was good knowing Melshi had made it, had not been captured or killed somewhere between Niamos and Coruscant - but Cassian had hoped he would have holed up somewhere far away, far out of the Imperial reach. Not right under the Emperor's nose, in the seediest of bars, clearly about to get himself into some trouble.

But then again, it seemed like those four years had been surprisingly kind to Melshi. In fact, he looked somehow younger than when Cassian had last seen him. Less troubled, less lost. There was a sense of purpose about him that deeply resonated with Cassian's own deepest sentiments.

'Good to see you, too, friend.' Melshi replied, and he clearly meant it, too - as evidenced by the warm smile (the kind Cassian had never seen before on his face) and a subsequent rib-breaking hug.

'What had you been up to?' Cassian motioned towards the empty chair beside him. In the seconds it took Melshi to sit down, Cassian quickly shot his eyes towards Marla - a very tense, very visibly confrontational Marla, who had both her blasters out and a look on her face that said she was confused but still ready to shoot - and gave her the smallest of nods.

'Same as you, clearly,' Melshi motioned at the bartender and pointed at one of the bottles on the wall. 'Is your bodyguard going to join us?'

Cassian huffed out a small snort, 'That obvious, huh?'

'You're not. She is. She looks like she's about to give me a one-way ticket to meet the Maker.'

'I'm fairly sure she's considering it,' Cassian snorted, giving Marla another nod and a smile that - in his head - was meant to be reassuring. 'So, you're a spy now?'

'Hardly,' Melshi replied with a smirk. 'Remember what we talked about on Niamos? How we should find a way to expose what the Empire had been doing?'

'People have to know ,' Cassian repeated. 'Any luck with that?'

'Well, not really,' Melshi averted his gaze for a moment, focusing instead on the collection of colourful bottles displayed on the wall behind the bar. 'I tried for some time, you know? Joined a small group that was working on hacking the official Imperial holosites. We managed to reach some people, but it all went to hell eventually,' he paused for a moment, nursing his drink. 'As most things do in the end. Speaking up doesn't do much when everyone around is too afraid to listen.'

Cassian nodded quietly, studying Melshi's expression. There it was again, that same shadow he'd seen on his face so many times before.

'Ever wondered what those things were, the stuff we made on Narkina?' Melshi resumed after a slight pause.

Cassian shrugged, looking away. Of course he did. But wondering did little good, and he had other things to think about.

'I did,' Melshi continued. 'And the more I thought about it, the less sense it made. So, after the holonet operation blew up, I started sniffing. Carefully, at first, because you know - being a convict on the run and all that... But then I did some digging and, what do you know, I had died in a tragic flooding incident four years ago. So did you, by the way,' he smirked again.

'That's-- quite convenient, actually.'

'It really is, isn't it? Seems like the Empire wasn't too happy admitting a bunch of thugs and losers closed the whole place down. You gotta love the Imperial penchant for hiding the inconvenient truth.'

Cassian waited in silence as Melshi tipped back another swig of his beer.

It made sense. And it also explained why Cassian never saw his face plastered on the streets with the words wanted underneath. In their arrogance, the Empire gave him a clean slate.

'Anyway, once I discovered that not only weren't they looking for us but also, they actively tried to hide any proof of our existence... I figured it gave me a perfect opportunity to sniff around some more. And that's what I did - I came here and found a job as a nightshift guard in the Imperial Archives. Not gonna lie, I almost backed out at the last second - but my fake identity ended up being worth every credit I paid for it,' He gave a faint smile before resuming. 'Long story short, there's good news and bad news. Bad news is, I still have zero clue what we were doing there, what all these parts were for... Good news, though: I managed to dig out a log of shipments out of Narkina from the time we were there. They were all going to the same place. And now I know where.'

A chill ran down Cassian's spine. This was indeed good - even if the intel was four years old, it still gave them a starting point, and maybe it could lead to discovering something important. But then, Narkina was stored in the part of his brain he rarely accessed, tucked away together with memories of all the other ghosts from his past. He wasn't sure he was ready to revisit any of them.

But of course, logically, he knew he should. Anything that could get them closer to winning this kriffing war.

'This,' Melshi continued, sliding a small data stick towards Cassian, 'has the coordinates and all the other details I have managed to get. Which isn't much - but it's more than nothing.'

Cassian grabbed the data stick and tucked it into one of his pockets. They sat there silently for a while, each seemingly deep in thought.

'Why?' Cassian finally broke the silence, his eyes still absentmindedly skimming the room. 'Why not just move somewhere to the Outer Rim where they would never find you?'

It took a moment before Melshi replied - and, once again, Cassian heard the same weight in his voice he knew so well from before.

'Was that really ever an option?' he said quietly, staring at the bottle he was holding. 'Would you be able to forget all that and just... accept it?' Cassian remained silent, studying Melshi's expression. 'I have to do something, Keef. Even if it means nothing in the grand scheme of things. If I don't, then what was the point of even trying to escape? What was the point of making it to the shore when so many others didn't? Kino. Ulaf. Veemoss. I have a debt to pay. Otherwise, it was all for nothing.'

Kino. Ulaf. Veemoss. Nemik. Maarva. Clem. Kerri. Over the years, Cassian had learnt not to think about the ghosts that had paved his path to the Rebellion. He knew that it was no use dwelling on the losses, that he had to focus on the present if he didn't want this list to grow - but he also knew it would eventually grow, inevitably, and each time he would have to learn to forget again.

His eyes unconsciously darted towards Marla, and for a couple of seconds, he allowed himself to watch her slowly sip her whisky. Would he ever have to forget this, too?

Would he be able?

'There's one more thing, Keef,' Melshi's voice brought Cassian back from his thoughts. 'I want to join. I've done what I could on my own... but it just doesn't feel enough, you know?'

He did. It never felt enough.

'We're flying back tomorrow,' Cassian said slowly. There was no point trying to dissuade Melshi from joining; he could see it in his eyes. He knew that spark. He saw it so many times in his own eyes and in the eyes of all those who shared their curse. 'And it's Cassian.'

Melshi's solemn expression lightened up momentarily as he gave Cassian a quizzical look. 'Really? You're telling me of all the aliases in the Galaxy you willingly chose Keef Girgo? Maker, and here I was wondering how much your parents must have hated you...'

'Mention this to anyone, and I'll make sure they put you on kitchen duty for the rest of your days,' Cassian grinned softly, finishing his drink in one long swig.

'Keef Girgo,' Melshi repeated, shaking his head in disbelief.

And it felt good to see him smile like this. Almost good enough for Cassian to allow himself to sit back, order a couple of more drinks, and to forget about why they were there and how they got there, and how many others didn't. Almost good enough to overlook the fact that what Melshi had just signed up for was effectively a death warrant.

Almost good enough to pretend they weren't all on a collision course towards unavoidable damnation.

One of the things Cassian appreciated the most about his friendship with Marla, as fucked up as it has been lately, was that she never tried to force anything out of him. She let him sulk in silence for as long as he wanted to, let him retreat into his dark hiding place and sit there for as long as he needed.

But she was always there when he did finally come out, waiting patiently, open to accept as little or as much explanation as he was ready to give. And, more and more often, knowing that made it just a tiny bit easier to return from even the darkest of places.

Stars, he really needed to make sure not to kriff this up.

They barely talked on their way to their lodgings. He needed time to figure out how he felt about what had happened; on the one hand, he was relieved to see Melshi and selfishly pleased to have him join them and fight together once again... but then, it was impossible to look at his face and not see all those other faces, the faces of the giants whose backs they were standing on.

And there was that one question, the one he tried to bury deep down and the one he was too afraid to ask Melshi: what about the others? He would have mentioned it if he had heard anything or met anyone else. And sure, the Galaxy was a huge place, but Cassian hadn't exactly been hiding. He'd have heard. Or Melshi would have heard, and he would have mentioned it. The silence confirmed what Cassian knew, but it stung nonetheless.

'We're here,' he rasped through the noise on the street, grabbing Marla by the sleeve of her (his) coat. Leading her carefully, he directed her toward the massive, weathered door marked by scorching burns and warning signs declaring the site as unsafe and scheduled for demolition.

He'd stayed there several times before. The Rebellion had a couple of these safe houses scattered around the biggest Imperial cities. The access codes were widely available, so if anyone ever got stranded in a city where counting on someone's hospitality would mean a death sentence for the host, they could still find a relatively safe place to hide and have some shut-eye.

'Cute,' she commented, looking at the sign. 'Can't wait to see the inside.'

'It's... well, it's better than you might expect based on the outside. But also worse than you were probably hoping for.'

'Is it worse than that junkyard on Bracca?'

Cassian let out a quiet snort. 'I don't think anything is.'

'Then we'll be fine,' she said with a lightness in her voice that made him believe, even if only for a short moment, that they indeed would be fine.

The hydraulic door opened with a swoosh, and he entered confidently. Half a step behind him, Marla followed suit, but not without looking around in the most obviously suspicious way she could.

'This really does the opposite of what you're trying to achieve,' he murmured as they walked up the dark staircase. 'No one does that unless they have something to hide.'

'But then I won't know if someone is following me,' she protested.

'You will, because people who blend in rarely get followed. Looking around like a skittish tooka doesn't make you blend in. It draws a target on your back.'

'Fine. Whatever,' Marla pouted, and he had to fight hard not to let out a sincere chuckle at her solemn expression.

They stopped in front of another set of doors - these ones without warning signs but with a terminal that looked definitely inactive. That is, until Cassian popped open a small panel at the bottom of the mechanism and connected the two wires that he knew would jumpstart the mechanism for long enough for him to enter the code.

'After you.'

Marla crossed the threshold hesitantly, stepping into the darkness of the flat. Cassian followed right behind, navigating the place based on his memory (and hoping no one had rearranged the furniture since he'd last stayed there). After a moment, he located the small lamps that were scattered throughout the flat and started turning them on one by one.

'I think I liked it more when it was pitch black,' Marla confessed with a raised eyebrow.

'I'm... sorry?' he shrugged, unsure how to react.

'Kidding. Look, there are actual beds. I didn't expect this much.'

'And there's a combination shower in the refresher. And the nanowave works, too. Usually.'

'Nice!' She threw herself at one of the beds with a surprising level of enthusiasm. 'You go first.'

'Go where?'

'Shower. You stink of smoke and spice. This place has way too little airflow for me to be able to ignore it.'

'Hey, you were there too. You stink exactly the same.'

'Go.' She pushed him into the refresher and closed the door behind him. 'Just don't use up all the hot water.'

The bathroom was small and utilitarian, with grey tiles covering the walls and floor. The shower stood in the corner of the room, a sleek and futuristic-looking device that emitted a soft blue light. Cassian stepped into the circular enclosure, and the door slid shut behind him with a hiss.

A pleasant warmth enveloped him as he turned on the water, and he closed his eyes, letting the soothing sensation wash over him. The sonic vibrations of the water slowly pulsated against his skin, washing off the distinct smell of the cantina and all the other scents he'd managed to pick up on their way here.

Shame no shower could dissolve the memories that were clinging to his brain just like the smoke and grime to his skin.

After a few minutes, Cassian stepped out of the shower and wrapped himself in a towel he found under the sink, trying hard not to think about how many other people had used it before him. He briefly considered getting dressed back in the clothes he'd had on before, but he changed his mind as soon as the smell of smoke attacked his nostrils again when he bent over to pick up his shirt.

The first thing he registered upon opening the bathroom door was the cold gust of air that violently attacked his damp skin, making him shiver. But then he picked up another set of sensations that made him forget about the cold.

'I think I'd be less surprised if I came out and saw a Wookiee playing a game of dejarik with a porg.'

Marla was standing by the counter of the tiny kitchenette, with different containers set out around her, a knife in her hand, and an aura of infinite frustration emanating across the room.

'You know that thing that you sometimes do when you're trying to be funny? Yeah, don't. You're really bad at it.' Cassian snorted in reply, which earned him a quick glimpse away from the unidentified piece of meat she was torturing with a dull knife - only to have her immediately avert her gaze with a look of poorly concealed panic that he found infinitely endearing. 'Maker, get dressed, will you?'

'Didn't know you cooked,' he threw, trying very hard to keep his tone neutral and not betray the amusement that flooded him at the sight of her suddenly nervous movements.

'I don't. But I'm hungry. And really fucking tired of the rations,' she barked grumpily. Cassian had to turn around pretending to look for his clothes to hide the grin forming on his face.

'Where did you get all this stuff?'

'Stole it,' she shrugged. 'From that shop on the other side of the street from the cantina. While you were taking your time saying goodbye to your buddy.'

'And how did you know there'd be a kitchen in here?'

'I read it in those boring-ass files you had sent me. Maker, can you stop interrogating me?'

'I'm just... surprised, that's all. Both with... this,' he gestured towards the kitchen, 'as well as the fact you've actually read the dossier. Are you sure you're all right?'

'Are you sure you want to be making fun of me while I'm holding a knife?' She turned around with a grimace that was probably supposed to look threatening. Which probably would have worked had she not caught him in the middle of buttoning up his shirt, which had her eyes briefly trailing down before she visibly remembered about being grumpy and defiant.

'Let me help you with that,' he offered, throwing the damp towel onto his bed and crossing the room to stand beside her.

He had to give it to her; she definitely was trying. The whole counter was littered with scraps, and there was a large pot on the stove with various vegetables and some mystery meat he was afraid to ask about. It looked... it looked like an honest attempt.

Without a word, he reached for the wooden spoon in Marla's hand, his fingers gently brushing against hers as he took over the stirring.

'Did you...' he started slowly, cautious to find the right words so as not to offend her, 'did you manage to find the spices?'

His only reply was the quiet bubbling coming from the pot.

It was funny, the way she could get so nervous about such little things. He'd seen her fighting against impossible odds, seen her manoeuvring the ship the way no sane person would ever even consider, and she'd never even blink an eye. And yet, there she was, defeated by a stew, and so self-conscious about it that Cassian wanted to drop the stupid spoon and just hug her until she forgot all about it.

Of course, he knew it would most likely earn him a bruise.

'It's okay,' he said, making sure to sound as neutral as possible. 'Second drawer from the top. I think I left some stuff last time I was here.'

'Here. I don't know...'

'It's okay,' he repeated before he could stop himself, and immediately felt like stabbing himself with that dull wooden spoon he was holding. Instead, he took the small sachet from her hands and added a good amount of its content to the pot. 'Okay, now it has to simmer for a while. You should have enough time for a shower.'

'Are you saying I stink?'

'I don't know. I couldn't tell over the delicious aroma of your cooking.'

'Are you being-- you know what, I don't care. Make sure not to burn it,' she shot him a warning look before walking away towards the refresher. He could swear he also heard her mumble the word 'asshole'.

The sound of his own quiet chuckle surprised him. He had expected to spend the evening writing the mission report and trying to suppress that growing feeling of grief that had been slowly creeping into his head since talking with Melshi.

Instead, he found himself stirring a pot of what would surely end up being the worst stew he'd ever eaten, grinning like an idiot. And it felt like the simplest and most natural thing in the world.

Looking back into the recent past, he was surprised to discover it wasn't too difficult to find memories of other moments similar to this one. Like when his arm was injured and hurt like hell, but all he could focus on was Marla's flustered smile as she helped him dress the wound. Or like when they were pinned down in that droid factory, and he had to stop himself from kissing her because she looked so beautiful with that passionate spark in her eye. Or like when he woke up to her staring at him with that confusingly elusive look on her face, only to watch her sneak out when she thought he was still asleep.

He looked at the closed refresher door and shook his head, a sudden shadow of sadness eclipsing his thoughts.

It felt so good, but deep down, he knew it wasn't right. This wasn't his purpose, he wasn't supposed to feel these things; he was supposed to be a spark and an unstoppable force for good, that was his prophecy, his gift and his undoing. It sounded so good coming from Maarva, but what that really meant was that he was doomed to steal, lie and kill, so that one day people like Marla could wake up and find that the darkness had finally been banished.

And maybe Marla could finally find peace in that new world; maybe she would be there to watch the last of shadows cower and crawl away; maybe one day she could even dust off the ashen remnants of his sacrifice and forget about the war, the way she deserved to.

But that wasn't very likely, was it? People like them had an expiry date.

The steady patter of water coming from the refresher stopped abruptly, and Cassian's eyes were once again drawn in that direction.

They were here, though. Alive, relatively well, and about to share a meal. And however doomed they were, whatever sacrifice they would have to make, they would at least always have this. And it wasn't half bad, Cassian decided.

It was much more than he had ever expected. And definitely more than he thought he deserved.

A/N:

For the LOTR fans that are familiar with the director's cut: you can imagine the rest of the evening went something like this. I started writing this scene, realised where it was going, and I just couldn't help myself. It had to be a stew. I'm sure they have stews in a galaxy far, far away.

PS I'm sorry for that fluff/angst rollercoaster at the end. Well, maybe I'm not. Or maybe just a little bit.

PPS I may or may not have a draft of a Melshi fic that talks about what happened between Narkina V and joining the Rebellion. But that's gonna take a while, my brain is incapable of focusing on more than one story at a time ;)

#cassian andor #cassian andor x original female character #andor #andor fanfiction #rogue one fanfiction #star wars #andor series #fanfic #rogue one

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